


Nepeta's Tail

by orphan_account



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Gen, Humanstuck, Meowrails
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-09
Updated: 2013-07-09
Packaged: 2017-12-18 06:18:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/876592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nepeta is injured and Equius can't really cope without her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nepeta's Tail

 

The sky lit up for one beautiful second. Then the ashes and dust fell. The explosion had been a big one. Everyone was shocked silent, then suddenly the dam burst and there was a second eruption, this one of noise. There was screaming and crying, people yelling for others to call for an ambulance.

The girl was sprawled on the ground. Her legs were at strange angles, her eyes were shut and her breathing shallow. She was dressed in a muted forest green jacket; her brunette curls flung out around her head like a medieval halo. Her small hands were covered with some hand-me-down sparring gloves, her sneakers were scuffed and the sole of one was slightly torn. The crowd didn't know what to do, they just called for someone else to help.

Equius couldn't hear any of it though, he was focused on her. He was stood at the edge of the crowd, watching silently from behind his glasses. They had just gotten some new cracks in them, as had Nepeta. He stepped forwards gingerly, but once he had he couldn't stop. He raced towards her.

She was lying there, looking as young as the day they first met. Her eyes were shut, and her fists were clenched. Her breathing was harsh and drawn out, she was physically trying to breathe. She looked so small, so fragile. Blood was pooling under her, with every beat of her heart it was getting bigger.

"Nepeta?" He muttered, his voice husky and deep. His own heart was hammering away. He would have given anything for his heart to keep them both alive in that second, he would have sold his soul. "Ne... Please, Nepeta."

Her lips moved. A whisper escaped her. "I, I can't feel my..."

"Your what?" He was trying so hard to stay calm. His hands were resting on her shoulders, gently pressed against them. Her frame was so small, it was easy for him to forget that she was physically a lot smaller than him. He was acutely aware of his strength now. "Nepeta, tell me."

"My legs... I can't..." She opened her eyes. The were unfocused and she blinked a few times before she caught his gaze. Her gorgeous eyes were filled with pain and fear. "I can't feel my legs."

Equius tried to keep a pokerface on, tried to not let his best friend see how much pain he was in. It didn't work, she knew, but they both pretended she didn't. They both pretended she would be fine, and there wasn't a doubt about that. "Okay, but we'll fix that, I promise."

She blinked again. A wave of coldness and lethargy had taken her. The blood loss was dangerously quick, she was losing so much. "I'm tired."

"No, no. Please Nepeta. Stay with me. Please." Equius begged, stroking her cheek and taking hold of one of her hands. "Please."

Nepeta didnt reply. Her breathing was getting worse. The blood pool was now soaking into Equius's trousers. He pretended not to notice and kept talking to her, to his best friend.

One of the onlookers was on the phone, she approached carefully, unsure of herself. "Excuse me, the... uh, emergency services say that you... Have to, uh, stop the bleeding." She was a mousy looking woman, not sure what to say to the large boy. "I told them about... Her, and they're sending ambulances. We- you just have to keep her alive until then."

Equius nodded. He, as gently as he could, turned Nepeta over and looked at her back. There was a small wound, blood was spurting out of it. It seemed to be an artery or vein, or at least some kind of major blood way. He covered it with his hand and let Nepeta lean against him. "What do I do?"

The woman explained to the phone and then listened for a few seconds. "You've got to pinch it shut."

Equius murmured his apologies and reached for the wound. He pinched it shut, as tight as he could, hopefully without hurting Nepeta. "Do- does that hurt?"

"No..." Nepeta's voice was barely audible. She opened her eyes, not even bothering to focus them now. She turned her head to look at Equius, a small smile played at her lips as she did. "Thank you, Eq."

"Shh," Equius's voice was close to a whisper too. He looked like he was about to cry, the set of his jaw and the way his hands were pressed against the small girl's body, "just stay with me."

"Promise." Nepeta smiled. Her eyes slipped shut again, and her smile faded.

There was a screeching of wheels and suddenly the scene was lit by blue and red lights. People rushed around him, ordering everyone else back.

A young man with bright green eyes crouched down on the other side of Nepeta. "Hey, you're doing a good job. Just hold on another few seconds, okay? We're gonna get you to a hospital and fix you up, yeah?"

Nepeta nodded mutely. Equius felt someone kneel beside him and attach something to the spot he was holding. "You can let go now."

He did, numbly. He watched the paramedics save Nepeta's life. The green eyed one was talking to her, making sure she was responding. She was getting weaker, and there was a frown on the green eyed man's brow that hadn't been there a few seconds ago.

Equius stumbled back, looking around him. There was a crowd, being pushed back by the police. Three or more ambulances were parked between the cars. Nepeta was being taken to one, and there were other people being wheeled on trolleys into the others.

His gaze slipped over the people and to the source of the explosion. A lone car, still on fire. There was a body lying next to it, and it wasn't moving. He blinked, and realised his cheeks were coated in salty water. He was crying, silent tears were racing down his cheeks.

The ambulance with Nepeta inside was just shutting its doors as he raced towards it. "Please!" He hammered on the side door. "Let me come with you, please!"

The door was opened and he climbed in the cab. In the back was his best friend and a paramedic. The green eyed one. Equius watched as he dealt with her, the blood coating his hands, the way he kept smiling despite everything, the ways he comforted her with the briefest touches.

The ambulance screeched to a halt and the back doors were thrown open. There were so many people in white that Equius felt completely out of place. He followed them numbly, watching them wheel his best friend away.

"Excuse me, hey. Hey kid, you can't go with them!" Someone grabbed his arm and stopped him from walking any further. He threw a punch at their head, only for them to duck. Equius took a deep, shuddering breath and looked again. The green eyed paramedic was the one stopping him.

"Why can't I go... She's, she is my best friend... I... Please."

"I know, but I can't let you. That's the operating room they're going to, you've got to stay out." He was just taller than Equius, and wrapped his arms around the boy's shoulders. "Come with me, I'll take you home."

"I want to stay..." Equius muttered, being lead towards to exit. "I want... She's..."

"There's nothing you can do here." The paramedic said, as calm as he was when he was talking to Nepeta. "You've got to go home and get changed. You can come back after that. Okay?"

Equius nodded. That sounded alright. It was reasonable. He was covered in blood, and the first thing Nepeta would think was that it was his. He didn't want to worry her like that. "Okay."

 

* * *

 

 

Equius trailed behind his father, keeping in the big man's shadow. He was dressed in slightly less casual clothes than he had been a few hours ago. Darkleer was dressed well too, gone were the grease stained overalls. In their place was a clean blue t shirt with dark blue, near black, jeans. New ones at that.

Equius kept his head down until they reached the ward that the nurse had said Nepeta was in. Darkleer pushed open the door as gently as he could, and let Equius into the room first. He followed his son and they wandered down the hall, the bed at the end was the closest to the window.

The sunlight fell over her face, illuminating her youth. Her body was so small, surely it wasn't like that this morning. Her chest was rising and falling in a slow, steady pattern. Helped by the machine with the tubes placed over her mouth and nose. Nepeta's hair was messed up, but someone was running a brush through it.

Her hands were older than her daughter's, but she had the same small proportions and thin bone structure. Her hair was darker than Nepeta's, and her lips were fuller. She looked up at them, and her eyes were the exact same. Equius felt a stab of pain hit him in the chest. She'd been crying, recently.

"Executor..."

"Darkleer. Not executor any more." Darkleer corrected. He looked down at Nepeta, his son's best friend. It was likely that she was his only friend, considering he never brought anyone else home. He found himself smiling, remembering her liveliness. The sound of her laughter seemed to echo in the hospital, even though no one had laughed there for a long time.

"Darkleer." She nodded, letting go of the hairbrush. She wrapped her fingers around Nepeta's hand.

Equius had been silent the whole time, but now he sat beside Nepeta and took her other hand. "Hey Nep." The adults shot each other a look, and kept their mouths shut. "I don't know if you can hear me, I don't know if you want to... I'm sorry, okay?" His voice was soft and smooth, in any other situation it would have been calming. But right now, it was heartbreaking. "I didn't mean to upset you, I didn't mean to make you... I didn't want to say those things, it was unfair and they were all untrue."

Nepeta's mother reached over and took Equius's hand in her own. "She knows. Believe me, she knows you would never do anything to hurt her."

"C-" he swallowed, and looked at her and then his father. "Can we pay for her to be moved to a private room?"

Ms Lejion's eyes widened slightly, and she glanced at Darkleer. "I don't thin-"

"I'll pay for it, if you agree to it." Darkleer said carefully. He made sure that his words were sculpted as they left his mouth. "Do you agree to it?"

She swallowed hard, blinking as she did. Her grip on Nepeta's hand was loose and she could feel herself beginning to tear up.

"She is his best friend, she spends so much time with us... I couldn't forgive myself if I, if I didn't give her the same chance I gave you." Darkleer said slowly.

Equius was watching them both, his heart had never beaten so fast in his life. He knew not to interrupt, so instead he inspected Nepeta's nails. Usually they were coated in a uniform green, but today she had been trying out new colours at the mall. There was candy red, lime green, forest green, bright yellow and - his favourite - blue.

"Okay." She said carefully. "Thank you."

"It's not a problem." Darkleer smiled. He turned to Equius. "You can stay here as long as you want, but I have to go. I'm working on something for the Serkets and they wouldn't be pleased if I left it too long."

"Okay dad." Equius nodded, untangling his fingers from Nepeta's. "I, I'd like to stay a while if that's okay."

Ms Lejion smiled, her sharp teeth poking out from under her perfectly painted lips. Sometimes he forgot that her and her daughter were very much the same. Both were incredibly dangerous when pushed the wrong way.

 

* * *

 

Equius waited for his father to leave and then took from his pocket a bottle of nail varnish. He placed it on the bed. It was her colour, forest green, but this one had some sparkles in it or something. He wasn't sure, but she had adored it.

"I got this for you, because I wanted to apologise..." He laughed softly, "Now I've got to go shopping again."

Ms Lejion picked it up and looked at the colour. "This is lovely. Where did you find it?"

"Nepeta, she loves some of those vanity stores. So every time we go to the mall, I buy her something. Usually, she buys the art stuff for herself. And then tries to buy me new shades. She hates the fact I only wear these ones." He pushed the cracked shades up over his nose.

"You used to wear them when you were little. The first time you came over," she reminisced with a smile on her lips, "you were terrified of offending me. You took them off, but that made you uncomfortable. So I told you to keep them on, and Nepeta said that was the first time she'd seen your eyes."

Equius nodded. "It was."

"You have beautiful eyes, you shouldn't hide behind those glasses." She smiled, twisting the lid of the nail polish with a crack. The colour was nearly exactly the colour of her eyes, and Equius couldn't help but smile. That's why Nepeta had loved it.

Carefully, she painted Nepeta's remaining clean nails. The brush passed over cleanly, painting bright strokes of green. She made it look easy, her graceful hands were nimble and quick.

 

* * *

 

Darkleer was nowhere to be found when Equius got home. He called out his father's name, but to no avail. The man was gone, probably to visit the Serkets. They were some of his best customers, but they were so pushy and...

Equius let that thought trail off. He slumped into the couch and flicked on the TV. One of those stupid donation pledge things was running, showing a beat up dog and a cat missing its tail.

"...but with your help, we were able to get Misty her tail back." The camera zoomed into the cat's face and then back out, showing the same cat with a fake tail attached to its rear end. Equius's ears metaphorically pricked as he listened.

He dashed upstairs, completely ignoring the annoying music coming out of Horuss's room. Any other day, he would have hammered on his brother's door and shouted at him to keep it down. But right now, he was too busy, his mind was filled with possibilities and half thought up ideas.

In his own room, he dragged his chair to his desk and, on a clean sheet of paper began to scribble away. The drawing took shape almost instantly, under Equius's pencil the straight lines and sharp corners turned into a glistening metallic wonder. He noted things down in his own scrawling handwriting, carefully making sure to ask his father about it later.

 

* * *

 

Darkleer arrived home well after dark, not expecting either of his sons to be awake. He was surprised when his keys in the door prompted Equius to leave his room. The boy was clutching a sheet of paper in his hands, as though his dear life depended on it.

"Dar- Dad."

"Yeah?" Darkleer looked over his boy. Equius's sunglasses hid most of his face, his smile was crooked and broken. "What d'you want?"

"Can you look this over for me, I don't want... I want it to be perfect." He held out the paper.

Darkleer took it gently, noticing the way Equius stiffened as he did. He peered down at the drawing, inspecting every inch. He smiled. This was just like Equius, it was so very in his nature... Darkleer drew a pencil from his pocket, one he kept there in case he needed to write something down or correct his own designs. He marked a few things on Equius's paper.

"Talk to me in the morning, I'll help you then." Darkleer rumbled, handing the sheet back. "Bed now, its late and you've got to get up tomorrow."

"Okay." Equius sounded disappointed, but not upset. He knew his father wouldn't let him start it this late, but he had h

oped.

 

* * *

 

"So, did anyone hear about the explosion outside the mall?"

"That weird girl in my English class was in it. She's at the hospital now. Miss told us."

"Shh, the boy that hangs around with her is coming."

Equius stopped counting the times that conversations hushed as he walked past, he stopped thinking about it. He just... Stopped. Without Nepeta here, school was a useless waste of time for him, it was depressing.

He wandered through the corridors, hiding behind his shades. His bag was too heavy, and his body didn't quite work the way he wanted it to. His focus slipped in class, and he would find himself looking over at the empty space in Nepeta's chair. He didn't stay after school to use the gym, not like he normally would. Nepeta would usually have been sat at the foot of the bench, playing with a pen or something, and right now the thought was too much.

Instead, Equius hurried home. He basically sprinted into the house and slammed the door behind him. Darkleer was in the kitchen, apron wrapped around his waist with his long hair up in a pony tail. He had a piece of toast in his mouth and looked incredibly confused.

"Hey Darkleer." Equius said quietly. "Overslept again?"

Darkleer nodded. He removed the toast from his mouth and bit a piece off with a sharp crunch. "Making breakfast, want some?" His mouth was full of the dry crumbs, and Equius was lucky not to be covered in them.

"No thanks." He sat down at the island table in the middle of the modern kitchen and looked around. There were pots and pans everywhere, some of them were missing handles or had holes carved into the sides. Darkleer was forever experimenting with the metals he could find commonly, to see if any could be used in his designs.

He was an odd man, that much was for sure. His mood fluctuated a lot, sometimes he was on top of the world, sometimes he was work driven and focused to the point where all other things became a distraction, and sometimes, these were the worst times, he would sink into a depression so deep he didn't leave bed for days at a time.

"So, uh," Darkleer plated up a few rashers of bacon, three sausages and two fried eggs, "want to make your thing?"

"If, if it will work how I described. Otherwise, there's no point." Equius fiddled with his glasses.

Darkleer nodded, swallowing most of an egg whole. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I spoke to the hospital. Got her records. We can make it work perfectly with a few adjustments."

"Adjustments?" Equius frowned, looking closely at his father.

He speared a sausage and ripped into it. "She needs a bracket to keep a few vertebrae in place, its only adding a bit of metal... But it makes it completely unmovable afterwards."

"Okay." Equius nodded. "Lets do it."

 

* * *

 

Equius crept through the halls of the hospital as quietly as he could. He was wearing a fresh change of clothes, but these were a lot smarter. The cool AC system of the hospital kept his sweating to a minimum, so wearing the tight black t shirt and thin jacket was a comfortable experience, even in the heat. He had his hair pulled up into a pony tail, it kept all of his hair off of his neck.

He walked into the room that had his best friend in. It had been a few days since the blast, and she still hadn't woken up. The coma could be permanent, it could be something that she would never recover from.

In his hands Equius held two things that he knew she would love. There was a little blue hat with cat ears, he'd seen it at the store yesterday, and decided that it would be a great gift for her birthday. There was also a small posy of flowers, gripped tight. They were some kind of catnip, Nepeta something... Cur... Cir... He wasn't sure. There was a blossom of bright purple flowers on each stalk, and the smell from them was quite overwhelming in his yard, but right now it was comforting.

He walked into her room and looked at her. She was attached to a few machines, her heart rate was being measured, her breathing too. He pulled a chair out and sat beside her bed. He was silent for a while, just watching her.

"I, thought you might like some of those flowers you planted in my garden... I brought them because they just started blooming, and the smell is so good." He waved the flowers around, wafting the smell around the room. He stood up and walked over to the window, picked up the vase and placed the flowers in them.

The view from the window was of the city. It was looking over the the countless nameless and shapeless things out there that could have been in the explosion instead of Nepeta. Hell, even he could have been there instead of her. He would give anything for that.

After a few minutes he turned around and sat back down beside her. "And, I got you this... It's just a hat, but I thought you might like it... I was going to give it to you on your birthday, along with some other stuff. Like the nail varnish. But, I want you to have it now."

Equius sat for a few seconds, hoping for her to respond, before he leant over her and placed the blue hat snuggly on her head. It flattened her curls, and left her looking a lot younger than she would otherwise. As he sat down he took her hand in his, the nail polish was a gorgeous green, and the sparkles stood out. It almost made her nails look like they couldn't scratch your eyes out.

They stayed like that for an hour or more, with Equius just holding her hand. He occasionally brought her knuckles to his lips, grazing them and muttering his wishes for her to recover. She didn't respond at all.

"I... Uh, I have to go now, I've got something I'm working on, but I promise I'll come back." He stood up, letting go of her hand at the last possible second. "I'll come again tomorrow."

 

* * *

 

A week and a half after the incident, people stopped making excuses for him. His teachers stopped accepting that his focus would slip once in a while, and began calling him out on it. The other kids stopped hushing their voices around him. They kept talking about the girl in hospital, and the possibility that she might not ever wake up. A few of them even talked to him about it.

One of them pushed him too far.

"OI!" The boy shoved Equius, "You're friends with the girl in hospital, yeah?"

Equius tuned around and ignored him. He wandered off down the corridor for a bit before something was thrown at the back of his head. He turned around and looked at the boy, who was standing with a few of his friends scoffing.

"Hey, faggot, answer me." The boy was just taller than Equius was, but he was thin. His muscles came from stamina sports, so he looked more like a beanpole than the muscular Equius. Even though Equius was well proportioned, his height was the single reason he didn't look like a pitbull.

"Yes, I am friends with Nepeta. And, I am not a faggot." Equius felt his words being clipped and shortened by his anger.

"She's gonna die, right?" The boy shrugged. "Shame that, woulda liked to lay that at least once."

"Excuse me?" Equius's voice deepened and he became slightly louder. He took a step forwards. "What did you say?"

"I said that she's gonna die. And its your fault. That's what everyone's sayin-" the boy didn't even get the chance to defend himself, because suddenly a whole 180 pound beast was on him.

Equius cold feel his fists swinging and felt the crunch of bones under soft flesh. He was grinning, savagely. His fists pummelled the boy into submission, and he kept going. He kept hitting the boy with solid, heavy hits. Each one was something that he had kept caged tight inside his head, and chest. The stress and the pain that he felt weren't leaving him, but it felt so much better to take it out on someone else.

The boy was on his back, with Equius straddled on his chest. He tried to kick Equius off, but he couldn't. He brought his arms up to defend his face, before realising that one of them was broken. He yelled for help, and he felt the weight on his chest lifted.

Equius was hauled of the boy by his friends. A few looked like they'd like to try their own hand at fighting him, but none of them did. Instead, a few got the boy up off of the floor and the others restrained Equius, who was still thrashing away trying to kill the boy.

The noise had brought students to watch and teachers to mediate. One of them took the boy and helped him limp away, another two took Equius's arms and dragged him into an empty classroom.

Equius gave up, and sat slumped in a plastic chair. He felt all the fight leave him. The anger had drained him of his measly sleep, and the energy drink in his bag wasn't strictly allowed in school. He looked down at his feet, at his scuffed trainers with pen marks all over them. He had drawn on the laces, and Nepeta had done the rest.

"Zahhak," one of the teachers crouched down beside him, "what was that about?"

"He... Said Nep was gonna die." Equius sighed, realising just how much he feared that himself. He didn't know if he could do this without her, she was his everything.

The teacher's face softened, his brown eyes melted. "I'm sorry."

"So am I." Equius said, his voice harsh and sharp.

He shut down after that, not answering any more questions until his father got there. He was silent, and it was even more terrifying than when he was fighting.

 

* * *

 

Equius got dressed quickly into baggy shorts and a long sleeved top. He left his uniform in the wardrobe, it was of no use to him right now. He dashed downstairs, his shorts flapped against his thighs as he ran down them. He made sure not to make much noise, keeping Darkleer asleep would be a good thing for now.

He reached the ground floor of the house, and slowed down. He wandered into the kitchen and looked around. The dishes were cleared away for once and the floor had been cleaned. This was most definitely not something Horuss would do.

"Dad?" He called out, careful to make his voice quiet. "You up?"

"Yes." Darkleer said, his voice was coming from right behind Equius. "And I want to talk to you."

Equius turned around carefully, his father was looming over him. The man's hair was let loose and it fell over his eyes. Equius swallowed hard. His father's rippling muscles were incredibly imposing, regardless of if he meant to use them or not. "Yes?"

"You got kicked out of school for fighting." Darkleer said, his voice was filled with pity and some genuine pain for his son.

"Yes." Equius looked down at the floor. "I did."

Darkleer took a step back and disengaged himself from the emotions he was feeling. His voice became cold and almost uncaring. "You could have been kicked out permanently."

"I'm sorry." Equius was still focused on the square tiles underneath his feet. He blinked back tears. He'd never meant for any of this. He hadn't meant for Nepeta to get hurt, or to lose his temper and hurt that kid... He hadn't meant to, but that didn't stop it from being his fault.

"Remember that."

"I will." Equius whispered, his voice was close to cracking with emotion. "I promise."

"You're banned from the gym, and the workshop." Darkleer sighed. "I hate doing this, you know that."

"But N-."

"I will work on it alone."

Equius thought about the scant handful of times he'd been banned from either of his favourite places. He could feel the oppressive weight of guilt and shame pushing down on his shoulders already. He nodded.

"Go to your room."

 

* * *

 

That Saturday Darkleer took Equius to see Nepeta, just like he normally did. The ride there was silent, and the older man left as soon as his son was inside the building. Equius felt a small stab of pain in his chest at that, even though he knew it was nothing to do with him. Darkleer was in one of his moods, and he just wanted to go home and break something. Equius hoped it wouldn't be the gift he was making.

Inside the hospital was normal, and oddly comforting. Equius nearly ran through the hospital corridors, charging down the small passageways to get to the private rooms. He stood outside Nepeta's room, breathing hard. Equius could tell there was someone else in there, he just knew.

"Are you Equius?" The girl sat at Nepeta's bedside was smiling, but she wore red sunglasses and had a white cane leaning against her chair.

"Yeah." Equius stepped into the room and sat beside the bed. He took Neoeta's hand, somewhat wary of this new girl. He'd never met her before, but he knew that Nepeta had a blind friend called Terezi or something of the sort.

"I'm Terezi Pyrope." The blind girl smiled, showing all her teeth. "I used to FLARP with Nepeta sometimes."

"Nepeta hasn't FLARP'd for a long time." Equius muttered. "Not since Tavros got hurt, and Aradia..."

Terezi nodded. "But really, if she was going to end up here anyway... FLARPing would have been a fun way to do it." She cackled, covering her mouth with her hand.

"She... Um..."

"Just messing." Terezi smiled, properly this time. "It's okay. She'll be fine. My mum's working on the case right now, so we'll know who did it. And they'll be taken to hell. She's the best in the courtroom."

Equius nodded. "If I hadn't yelled at her, she wouldn't have run off..." He sighed heavily. "So it's sort of my fault she's here."

The blind girl shook her head. "Nepeta wouldn't accept that. So, on her behalf, I won't."

"Thanks." Equius smiled.

"Actually," Terezi pulled something out of her pocket, it was a phone, "what's your number?"

 

* * *

 

Equius sat in his room, looking down at the drawing he'd been working on since Nepeta went into hospital. The paper was covered in detailed notes and careful lines. The design was simply perfect, it worked in every way it was possible to make something like this work.

He'd gotten his father involved, making sure that his design wouldn't break, or be uncomfortable, or be wrong. Darkleer had said it would be fine, and Equius had no reason to not believe him. After all, his father had fixed so many people, taught him and Horuss some small craft, and even let him assist with Vriska's arm... This wouldn't be difficult. Not if they could make it in time.

Equius curled up the paper and took it from his room into the basement. Darkleer was already working on a few of the smaller pieces, the more intricate details. Equius gritted his teeth and began to sort out the sheet metal he would need for his next piece.

"Equius." Darkleer stopped crafting. He watched his son's hunched shoulders for a second. "Equius, listen to me."

The boy turned around slowly, not bothering to look his father in the eyes. Darkleer registered that Equius was still wearing the cracked shades. Something in him gave and he walked towards the teenager.

"You know this is not your fault, don't you?" He said softly.

Equius looked down at the floor. "If I hadn't... If I hadn't made her cry..."

"She would have been away from the explosion, I know that. But it is not your fault that she's in hospital." Darkleer took his son's face in his hands and nudged the sunglasses down with his thumbs. He looked into his boy's baby blues. "This is not your fault, don't blame yourself. It will do no good."

Equius nodded. He went limp in his father's arms, letting the tension of the last two weeks leave him. He sagged against the broad man, who wrapped his arms gingerly around the boy. They stayed still for a few minutes, while Equius breathed in the scent of the second most stable thing in his life.

The first was in hospital.

 

* * *

 

Nepeta woke up two weeks and three days after the explosion.

It was a Saturday, and Equius was sat next to her. He had brought another bunch of flowers, and was reading to her. The book was one of his favourites; The Book of the New Sun. He adored all fiction that involved some form of the Earth and all living things dying.

At first it was slow, her eyes flickering behind her lids. Then she moaned, and that was when Equius had stopped reading. When, with apt attention from the boy, her eyes had opened. It was only then that he called for the nurses.

He had been rushed out of the room and was now sat outside it. He was reading his book when he heard Nepeta yelling. Instantly he was on his feet and striding into the room. Nepeta was sat up, eyes wide and clearly scared.

"I can't feel my legs!" She was crying, tears falling in an almost anime style. They were unceasing, falling into her lap and soaking through her blankets.

He rushed to her, blind to all else. Equius reached her, moving the nurse away with a move of his hand. He took Nepeta into his arms and let her breathing calm and slow, he stroked her back in loose circles. "I know, I know. It's okay, it's okay."

"Equius, I can't be here. I, I have to go home... My mum... She can't afford this, I can't be-" She was petrified, babbling away into his chest and neck, telling him over and over that she shouldn't be there. He knew, in the way only he could, that she wasn't so scared about the money as leaving her mother alone.

"I'm paying." He said sharply. "It's the least I can do after everything."

Nepeta drew back from him, her mouth falling open. She looked like she'd just been slapped. "You can't do th-"

"I can and will." He said flatly. "You've got to listen to these people, they're just here to help you."

"I-" Nepeta swallowed, blinking away the tears. "Okay." Her voice was small, and she shrunk into herself a little. She was still entangled in Equius's arms, but she was now more dead weight than person.

"I've called your mum, she'll be here any minute." Equius said softly. "We, Darkleer and I, had to nearly drag her out of the room when..." He trailed off. "She loves you, you know."

Nepeta nodded dumbly.

"I mean it, she loves you. Despite that... Vantas preacher." Equius squeezed Nepeta slightly, just flexing his muscles. "She was here every day, all night and all day for you. Even he couldn't get her out."

Nepeta pressed her forehead to Equius' shoulder, clinging to him. "Thank you, bloo."

Equius felt himself choke at the childhood nickname. She hasn't used it for years, but it still brought back all the good memories of their life together. He nuzzled her hair. "I promise we're gonna make you better. And then you can come and help me talk to AA..."

Nepeta laughed softly, releasing her death grip on him. "You're hopeless."

"Only when you're not there."

 

* * *

 

Nepeta was just starting to feel her legs again when Equius and Darkleer finished their creation. Darkleer packed it up into a box and went to the hospital with Equius, as was usual on a Saturday. But what was unusual was that he stayed with his son as they walked into the hospital doors.

They walked into Nepeta's room, Equius trailing behind the larger man, and she beamed up at the pair of them. Her cheeks were slightly more coloured than they had been the previous week, and her curls were shoved into the cat hat that Equius had placed on her head.

Darkleer put the case down on the end of her bed. His flair for the dramatic had taken over. He looked at her carefully, pursed his lips slightly and asked, "Are you ready to see... Something that will change your life?"

Nepeta's attention was focused on the case, so she barely glanced up at him when she answered. "Show me, please."

Darkleer chucked softly and flipped the clips that kept the case shut. It sprung open, showing her the thing that Equius had been working on for weeks.

Inside the box was a metal tail. It was as long as Darkleer's arm, which made it almost the length of Nepeta's legs. The root was a metal plate, and it was designed to be attached to her spine. Darkleer ran over the basics of how it would be attached, with her permission.

She gasped and covered her mouth, but she couldn't stop smiling. She nodded through the tears brimming over. She hiccuped and grabbed Equius, pulling him up onto the bed next to her.

The boy looked shocked, but he relaxed and let Nepeta cling to him and thank him endlessly. He laughed when she hiccuped in the middle of saying thank you. She play slapped him and then thanked him again, unable to hide her smile.

"You didn't have to," she said quietly to the pair of them, once she was over the main bout of her emotions. "You didn't have to do that... Thank you, Darkleer"

"Psh," Darkleer smiled, "Equius did it all. I just put some of it together."

She turned her big eyes to him. "You did it?"

"I completely understand if you don't want it-"

Nepeta kissed Equius full on the mouth. It was a chaste kiss, but she didn't let go of him. "Shut up and accept that I love you. I love you so much. You're the best friend I could ever have and everything I said I didn't mean, I love you to bits Equius Zahhak."

Equius nodded, a bit dumbstruck by Nepeta's sudden burst of emotions. She was a bit all over the place, but so was he. He couldn't remember the last time he smiled so much his face hurt.

 

* * *

 

"Mr Zahhak's design will bracket your spine, keeping everything in the right place." The doctor said, pointing to the crack in the X-ray. "If you want to, we can get the surgery scheduled for tomorrow?"

Nepeta's eyes shone, she sat up as much as she could. Her legs were basically dead weight for the time being, her spinal cord had been partially severed but was healing fast. She nodded enthusiastically and squeezed her mother's hand tight. They were wearing the same nail polish, which made Equius unreasonably emotional.

He'd always loved the closeness between the Lejion family; they loved fiercely and deeply. They were like lionesses, dangerous and sometimes even feral when they were threatened, but they would both roll over and have their belly rubbed every now and then. With Nepeta, this was literal. She loved it when Equius absentmindedly rubbed her belly. He'd never had the chance to see if it was true for her mother, and he didn't really want to.

"Yes," Ms Lejion said with a shy smile, "thank you."

The doctor nodded and made a few notes on Nepeta's chart. He cast his eyes over the three of them and then left, the x rays in hand.

Once he shut the door Nepeta turned her eyes to Equius. "I'm going to get a TAIL because of you, I don't think you understand just how purrfect that is!"

Equius suppressed a light laugh, the way Nepeta still used her cat puns was one of his favourite things about her. She seemed to be an eternal child at heart, and he needed that. "Yes ma'am."

"I'm going to get a tail, Equius. What the hell were you thinking!?" She laughed, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "You're crazy."

"I'm crazy?" Equius raised an eyebrow. "I'm a robot tail making scientist! Of course I'm crazy!"

Nepeta broke out into giggles, covering her mouth with a hand and trying not to snort. Ms Lejion smiled and shook her head. "You kids, honestly."

There was a moment of comfortable silence before Nepeta broke it. "Hey, mum?" Nepeta glanced up at her mother. "Can I talk to Eq alone?"

Ms Lejion's gaze raked over her child's face. Nepeta's glowing face convinced her, and she stood up carefully. "If you need anything..."

"You'll be right outside, I know." Nepeta smiled. Her eyes followed her mother to the door and waited until it was shut before locking onto Equius's.

Equius couldn't hold her gaze, he was too guilty and he knew it. He knew it wasn't normal for her to ask her mother to leave, so he braced himself for the worst. He sat silent and still, barely even breathing. He didn't want to do anything that would upset her, because he'd already had enough failures.

Instead of yelling, or even getting slightly angry, Nepeta took his hand and pulled him into the bed. He was sat facing her, on his knees. He bowed his head and she reached up to take his jaw in her hand. Gently, she tipped his face up and looked at him clearly. "You got expelled. For fighting."

Equius nodded. He couldn't quite meet Nepeta's eyes, he still felt awful about it. The boy had to have stitches and had a broken arm, but the school had accepted that Equius was goaded into it. He was now to attend anger management classes and he was on a warning. "I didn't... I didn't mean to."

"Oh, Eq." Nepeta sighed and pulled him into a tight hug, her fingers digging into his shoulders. She stroked his hair and rested her chin on his forehead. "You're so silly."

Equius wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her neck, breathing in her scent. He knew then that everything would be okay, and no one else could ever make him feel this way. Nepeta stroked his hair and curled it in her fingers, comfortable with the boy's weight on her body.

Equius sat up and smiled at her. He swallowed hard and reached up to his glasses. He gently tipped them down his nose and took them off. Nepeta tilted her head and beamed at him. He smiled back, a proper smile that reached his eyes and made them glint. Nepeta held out her hand in a peace sign, and Equius did the same. Their fingers touched, creating a diamond shape.

"You're my best furrend."

"You're my best furrend too."


End file.
